The Whataburger Way

Whataburger’s signature burger and fries have earned the brand an impressive base of passionate consumers across the south.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, down the block from a McDonald’s and around the corner from a Jason’s Deli, Whataburger store No. 304 on Peoria Avenue features the same iconic, orange-and-white, A-frame exterior as nearly every other restaurant in the 740-unit Whataburger system. It serves the same quarter-pound hamburgers on five-inch buns, and its people inside display the same friendly demeanor that has catapulted the Whataburger brand through seven decades.

While seemingly a nondescript restaurant in the Whataburger portfolio, store No. 304 nevertheless remains distinctive for one reason: It is the quick-service chain’s northernmost location. Move farther north or west from Tulsa’s doorstep and Whataburger’s sphere of influence slows; the 63-year-old burger chain becomes more of a mystery as it departs its Southern base. It remains a unique outlier, a Texas-born, bred, and based family-owned business that understands who it is and what it’s doing, even in an era of global expansion and fast-evolving consumer trends.

“We do it slow and steady, not fast and quick,” says Whataburger CEO Preston Atkinson, who has been with Whataburger since 1986.

Slow and steady, of course, isn’t to suggest sluggish or unsuccessful.

In 2012, Whataburger’s sales approached $1.5 billion, a 12.6 percent jump over 2011. The double-digit sales gain propelled Whataburger over Carl’s Jr. in the QSR 50. Now sitting in the 23rd position, Whataburger is the nation’s eighth-largest burger concept.

The steady, stable rise of Whataburger

When founder Harmon Dobson first opened Whataburger’s doors in 1950, sales at the original Corpus Christi, Texas, eatery topped $50 on the first day. After that inauspicious start, however, Whataburger only grew. Swelling interest from entrepreneurs led Dobson into franchising in 1953 and, six years later, Whataburger expanded beyond Texas’s borders with a shop in Pensacola, Florida.

After Dobson died in a tragic airplane accident in 1967, his widow, Grace, resisted overtures from buyers and seized control, honoring her late husband’s will, which stated his “desire that the business which I have created shall be preserved and continued if at all possible and feasible.” Grace Dobson remained directly involved in the operations until the Dobsons’ son, Tom, took the helm in 1993.

Whataburger opened its 100th restaurant in 1972, its 300th in 1980, and its 500th in 1995. Today, the chain’s 740 units stretch across more than 300 communities in 10 Southern states from Arizona to Florida.

Much of Whataburger’s success can be attributed to its passionately loyal consumer base; the San Antonio–based chain’s cult following has manifested itself in a Facebook fan page for its fancy ketchup; a highly publicized 2012 tale of a Texas couple who visited every Whataburger location during a 20,000-mile odyssey; and the brand’s recognition by the Texas legislature as a Lone Star State treasure.

But the fact that it hasn’t sold out to the highest bidder also helps guide Whataburger’s growth. The burger brand joins the likes of Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, and Little Caesars as high-performing quick-service enterprises still under the family thumb.

The current group of Dobson family leaders—Tom, Lynne, and Hugh—was raised in the restaurant business and each remains actively engaged. Tom Dobson, in fact, still serves as Whataburger’s chairman two years after retiring from the CEO post.

“Our biggest point of differentiation is that we’re an operations-driven company, not an investor-driven company,” says Atkinson, who jokes that his “Wall Street” adviser—Tom Dobson—sits in the office next door.

Whataburger’s family-owned and operated philosophy defines much of its operational and development strategy, creating a consistent focus on long-term gains, patience, and pride. “This is a marathon, and we all look at it that way,” says Whataburger senior vice president and COO Clifton Rutledge.

The company’s leadership has long favored corporate-owned stores over franchised units. More than 80 percent of the nation’s Whataburger outlets today are owned and operated by the company. Meanwhile, franchise partners who have been with the Whataburger system for more than 20 years lead the majority of the company’s 119 franchised restaurants. “And just like us, they’re operators at heart,” Atkinson says.

The familiarity operators have with the brand has developed a company unity that cultivates enthusiasm and drives results. Leaders call it “Being Orange,” a nod to Whataburger’s primary brand color.

“It’s not about the stock dollar or Wall Street,” Rutledge says. “Nobody wants to disappoint the Dobson family.”

And that’s a two-way street, Atkinson says.

“The team works hard not to embarrass the Dobsons and the Dobsons work hard not to embarrass the team,” he says.

Lane Cardwell, president of Dallas-based Cardwell Hospitality Advisory and former CEO of Boston Market and P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, says the Dobsons’ presence is a consistent motivational tool that provides the company’s 24,000 “family members” (Whataburger-speak for “employees”) the gusto to improve the service, quality, and brand.

“There’s a distinct pride factor that resonates throughout the Whataburger system,” Cardwell says. “People aren’t working for the shareholders, but for the family.”

Differentiation in the battle for market share

Whataburger’s successful 63-year run, however, stems from far more than a warm and fuzzy family culture. Indeed, it takes more than positive sentiment to sell 70 million burgers each year and push AUV toward $2 million.

The chain’s made-to-order, customizable burger allows diners nearly 37,000 different burger combinations. And the pure beef, quarter-pound burger—one that needs to be held with two hands—is often perceived as a greater value than many of Whataburger’s quick-service counterparts.

“In the battle for market share, representing good value and quality puts you in the consumers’ good graces and maintains traffic and usage,” says Darren Tristano, executive vice president at Chicago-based research firm Technomic. “Good value is something Whataburger represents very, very well.”

Cardwell, a self-described Whataburger fan, credits the chain for giving fast-casual service and quality at a quick-service price point. When he visits Whataburger, Cardwell says, he sees staff not only bring food to the table, but also a condiment tray with napkins, straws, ketchup, and more.

“They go that extra mile to please,” Cardwell says, adding that Whataburger also benefits from a diverse clientele base that includes students, laborers, white-collar workers, and moms.

“The common denominator is that they’re all attracted to a good burger,” Cardwell says.

In addition, most Whataburger stores are open 24 hours, closing only for Christmas. One of the earliest pioneers of the 24-hour quick-serve restaurant—a function that came at considerable investment without immediate returns—Whataburger’s all-day operation remains an undisputed advantage.